15 Years Ago Today: Kurt Cobain Died

Fifteen years ago today, Kurt Cobain died at the age of 27—he was found three days later inside of his home in Seattle. That day many fans of the band came home from school or work to see this MTV Kurt Loder broadcast (which we don't remember him delivering quite so detached). Soon after, Loder talked to Courtney Love—that year, 1994, she lost both her husband and her friend/bandmate Kristen Pfaff. Today fans are gathered, as they are every year, at the unofficial memorial of the singer: a bench in Viretta Park in Seattle (Cobain has no gravesite).

Last week MSNBC looked at the roots of grunge, saying that while it formed in Seattle, "the emergence of Nirvana, and the stardom that came to singer-songwriter Kurt Cobain, happened in part via an assist from the New York-based post-punk band Sonic Youth." Here's Nirvana performing on MTV's Unplugged series, which was filmed on November 18th, 1993, at Sony Studios in New York (the recording was released after Cobain's death, in November of 1994).

The New Yorker's Sasha Frere-Jones said of Cobain, “His singing style especially became the default template for rock music. He changed the way singing was done.”

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Carlson in Arts and Events on April 5, 2009 5:44 PM

Comments [rss]

Mark Wyndel de Vera

he was murdered

robingee

Everything's a conspiracy.

Guest

especially when it relates to something that does not have irrefutable closure (We're waiting for your confession, Courtney!).

George Myers

Now I see the doors the forensic scientist Dr. Lee complained about. It was assumed that since they were locked Mr Cobain committed suicide, but according to toxicology, it Dr. Lee's opinion, a person with that much heroine in him could not have pulled the trigger. The doors were never analyzed, i.e., a pane of glass could have been removed and replaced after an alleged homicide, and setup to look like what was expected. Dr. Lee, of Connecticut, also testified at the "OJ trial" thought the crime scene was mishandled.

Other recent forensics also show that Jimi Hendrix may have had a switched sleeping pill available at the time from Germany that was four-times as powerful as expected, and to this day many insist he died from a heroine overdose.

I've worked with a forensic anthropologist on a rare occasion in public archaeology, Marilyn London with the Smithsonian, on call with the state of Rhode Island, in the "First Almshouse" cemetery remains inside NYC City Hall Park in 1999 and also on the previous research that placed that there. Thanks for the graphic.

contrabalance

“His singing style especially became the default template for rock music. He changed the way singing was done.”

Indeed. From that point on, none could truly call himself a thuper therious rock thinger without having:
<ul><li> mumbled murky, incoherent nothings through greasy, luxurious goldilocks, </li><li>groaned like a constipated, geriatric bovine kicking dope, and/or </li> <li>screamed bloody murder because you're more rich & famous than god but life like totally sucks brah</li></ul>

jennu

The way I remember it, they didn't have that much info even on Saturday, so this report must be from a few days later. When MTV started covering the story, all they knew was someone had seen what was in that newspaper photo and no one had even gone into the house yet.

chrysanthe

It was actually on the 8th that his death was announced: http://www.deathofkurtcobain.com.

Clarice City

So? Elliot Smith stabbed himself in the chest.

MrCow

lol. and it's elliott with two t's

Andy

Loder's hands are shaken as he's reading the news. His tone may sound detached, but his trembling hands and his rushed delivery give away his true emotions. He's a professional, but you could tell this one got to him.

russ

and a few days before their MTV UNPLUGGED taping, I snuck into the soundcheck a few hours before their gig at the NY COLISEUM and met Dave, Krist and Kurt...had a ticket for the show too, but I wanted to try and meet em..and luck was with me.